Translation guide
How to express 'break through' in Japanese, covering physical breakthroughs, overcoming barriers, and achieving breakthroughs in various contexts.
We broke through the enemy's defensive line.
The police broke through the barricade.
Literally 'strike and break', implies forceful destruction of a barrier. Often used for breaking through doors, walls, or enemy lines.
The firefighters broke through the door and entered.
To thrust through, pierce, or break through by poking or stabbing. More specific than 突破する.
He broke through the wall into the next room.
To overcome obstacles, limitations, or difficult situations, such as breaking through a plateau or a deadlock.
Also used metaphorically for overcoming difficulties, barriers, or limits.
I finally broke through the difficult barrier.
Sales broke through the 1 million yen mark.
To overcome, surmount. Focuses on getting past a difficulty rather than breaking it. Common for personal challenges.
To break a deadlock or find a way out of a difficult situation. Often used for stalemates or impasses.
To achieve a significant advance or discovery after effort.
The loanword 'breakthrough' is commonly used in scientific and technical contexts.
The researchers achieved a breakthrough in cancer treatment.
To make epoch-making progress. A more formal Japanese expression for a breakthrough.
To push one's way through a crowd or line of people.
To emerge or penetrate through a surface.
To penetrate the opponent's defense in sports.
突破する implies actively breaking through a barrier, often with force or effort. 乗り越える focuses on getting over or past an obstacle, emphasizing the result of overcoming rather than the act of breaking. Use 突破する for physical or metaphorical barriers that are 'broken', and 乗り越える for difficulties that are 'surmounted'.
break through a barrier
overcome difficulties
壊す (こわす) means 'to break' as in destroying or damaging something. It does not convey the sense of passing through a barrier. Use 突破する or other specific verbs instead.
He broke through many difficulties and succeeded.
We need to break through the negotiation deadlock.
This discovery made a breakthrough.
She broke through the crowd to get to the front.
氷を突き破って水に落ちた。
He broke through the ice and fell into the water.
紙を破って向こう側を見た。
I broke through the paper and looked at the other side.
His dribbling broke through the opponent's defense.